Upset By a Man Taking Pictures of His Girlfriend at the Pier, He Shows a Gun–and Is Arrested

A Fort Myers visitor at the Flagler Beach Pier was arrested and jailed Tuesday evening after he threateningly displayed a gun to another man taking pictures of the visitor’s girlfriend, according to a Flagler Beach police report.

Jason Torres, a 23-year-old resident of Ormond Beach, was at the pier with friends around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, taking pictures. Connie Roberts, 31, a Bunnell resident, walked into the area Torres was photographing. Torres kept clicking and laughing.

Roberts’s boyfriend, Thomas Wood, 26, of Miami Drive in ft. Myers, got upset, according to the report, showed Torres the .32-caliber Baretta gun Wood had in his pocket, and told Torres: “You think that’s funny? Is this funny?”

Torres, according to the report, immediately stepped away, told his friends of the incident, and called 911, giving the dispatcher a description of his alleged assailant, who was wearing a black tank top and khaki shorts.

A few minutes later, Flagler Beach police spotted Wood, who matched the description given the 911 dispatcher, at South 5th Street and A1A. Wood presented his ID, along with a military ID belonging to Roberts–and Roberts’s concealed weapon permit. While Wood was patted down he said Roberts had a gun in her purse.

With Roberts’s consent, an officer retrieved the weapon, which was loaded with a live round chambered, the report states. Another officer brought Torres to South 5th, where Torres positively identified Wood as the man who’d allegedly displayed the gun to him on the pier.

Wood was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. The arrest report notes that Wood was not read his Miranda rights “due to the nature of the incident and the on-view identification and cooperation of Ms. Roberts.” The report also states that Wood “was not questioned about the incident and did not offer any details of the incident other than being present when Ms. Roberts was being photographed, and that statement was provided voluntarily.”

Wednesday evening Wood remained at the Flagler County jail on $2,000 bond. He was arrested in June 2011 in Lee County on a battery charge.

@ elaygee, I know what you meant but cheapest doesn’t always mean lowest level. It is getting harder and harder for families to be able to afford things anymore. This does not make them low level. It makes them poor, a designation which is rapidly spreading in this country.

Well, considering he didn’t have a concealed carry permit, and that didn’t stop him from carrying anyway, I don’t see how him not being “allowed” a concealed carry permit has anything to do with anything. The guy is a criminal, a bully and a wannabe thug, and as far as I’m concerned, throw the book at him. Jam him up good.

I wish there were a lotion for this recent rash of gun stupidity.
It’s idiots like this that make responsible CWP holders look bad.
I guess that picture taker-made him fear for his life. Ban cameras!
Schmuck.

As a legal gun owner and a responsable one at that, this is the type of person who makes us look bad, why did she let him hold her gun? she should have know the law if she had a CWP. Guns do not kill people, but morons with guns do and that is the real problem, we will never solve it because there is no way to keep guns out of scumbags hands.

I would have SMACK the camera out of his hands and thrown it in the ocean. I’m sick and tired of “invasion of my privacy” regardless if I’m out in public. That’s another reason this country is FAILING. No respect for anybody.

So by extension, you think what he did was okay and an appropriate course of action? You have exactly zero expectation of privacy in a public place. Period. I do find it interesting that you think physically battering someone and destroying their property over a perceived slight is in any way respectful, though. If you don’t want your girl photographed, don’t let her walk in front of the camera, plain and simple.

The law allows a person to photograph anything they choose as long as they are on public property or on private property with permission of the owner. No permission is required from the subject of the photograph unless the photo is going to be used in an advertisement or other for-profit enterprise. You can even take a picture of private property — say the apartment with the orcas painted on the side — without permission as long as you’re standing on public property — say Veteran’s Park — when you do so.

I know this because I take a lot of photographs wherever I go and make sure the local laws support me.

Ok Voice of Reason that’s all very nice for you. But, don’t let me catch you snapping a pix of me or my family without my or their direct pemission or you just might be in for a loss of photo equipment.

Enjoy the freedom of carrying a legally concealed weapon while you can.
It’s all going to come to screeching halt because of all these downright dumb human-beings.
And I don’t just mean the pistol packers.

I’ve said it before: too many people are willing to hurt and be hurt.
When you carry a pistol, you need to be more tolerant of bullsh**–not less, like many believe.
You need to shy away from encounters!

The whole point of carrying a weapon is to help you get home, just like you left it.
It is for neutralizing or countering deadly force–not stupid would-be photographers.
Just walk away for goodness sake.

Im convinced that concealed carry permits should be issued like a drivers license. take state certified class.
include proper use rules and laws for self defense. And test. People are under the wrong impression that a gun is a toy to them. Wean out immature, and un educated people. Parents lock your guns from your kids.